In Korea, food waste corresponding to 8 trillion won every year is generated. Although such food waste may be converted to reusable resources, such treatment is not easy. According to statistical data of Ministry of Environment for the year 2000, food waste reused as feedstuff and compost amounts to 5,600 tons of total food waste of 11,350 tons, such that a reuse ratio of food waste reaches 49.3%.
Generally, since most food waste is composed of organic compounds, problems related to stabilization of soil and leachate may be caused when such waste is buried.
In order to overcome such problems, there are proposed techniques of treating food waste through composting, feedstuff-Producing, and weight reduction of food waste by hot air drying or dehydration. However, the composting techniques are disadvantageous in that unpleasant odors are generated during such composting process, and also, in case of using compost for a considerable time period, effects of a salt content in compost on soils cannot be predicted.
As for feedstuff-Producing methods, when feedstuff is made under poor sanitary conditions, livestock may catch a disease or die of diseases. Thus, such methods are unfavorable because materials unsuitable for use as feedstuff should be thoroughly separated from food waste before the waste is subjected to a feedstuff-Producing process.
The treatment of food waste by hot air drying or dehydration is not regarded as a method of finally treating decomposable organic compounds. Further, in case of large restaurants provided with a weight reduction apparatus, an offensive odor is caused, and an additional apparatus is required to remove such odor. Therefore, excess power is used and operation cost is increased.
In addition, there is a method of degrading the collected food waste via nonaerobic digestion provided, which is applied as a form of a septic tank in a small apartment area and a municipal plant, and its application is increasing.
In this regard, Korean Patent No. 0280934 discloses a simultaneous disposal method of ordure, food waste and domestic sewage. Additionally, Korean Patent No. 0266089 discloses a technique of treating organic compounds, which constitutes of food waste, using aerobic microorganisms, water, air and hydrogen peroxides.
However, the above methods are disadvantageous in that, since the transported food waste is treated together with domestic sewage while not being separated, sewage and food waste cause high loads on a disposal facility, thus requiring a disposal facility of a large capacity.
Food waste, which is generated from homes or restaurants, is accumulated and stored in a separate container for a predetermined time period and then collected before treatment. Therefore, during storage, waste generates a bad smell due to putrefaction, or vermin and bacteria grow therein, and so the surrounding environment is spoiled.
Aiming to overcome the problems encountered in the prior art, we, the inventors of the present invention, have been trying to develop an on-site treatment method of food waste generated from multi-unit dwellings or institutional food service facilities, by transporting such food waste having solid and liquid constituents to a separation chamber as soon as food waste is generated from such waste-creating sources, separating the transported food waste to liquid and solid constituents in the separation chamber, and finally treating the separated solid food waste with the use of disposal equipment.